Democratic presidential candidate and former Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley, right, speaks with Sandy and Lonnie Phillips during a news conference to curb gun violence the day after the Democratic debate in Las Vegas. The Phillips’ daughter Jessica Ghawi was gunned down in the 2012 Aurora, Colo., movie theater shooting.. (AP Photo/Ronda Churchill)

The call this week from the Democratic debate stage for stricter gun laws invoked the name of Aurora theater shooting victim Jessica Ghawi. In the CNN debate audience in Las Vegas, her mother, Sandy Phillips, sat shocked.

“To get a shout out from the stage — finally, finally, finally a shout out — to really open this debate about gun violence prevention, it was astounding,” Phillips said in an interview the next day.

Sandy and Lonnie Phillips attended the Tuesday debate as guests of Democratic candidate Martin O’Malley, the former Maryland governor. And the next day, they appeared on national TV interviews and stood next to O’Malley at a rally in which the candidate called for the end to legal immunity for gun dealers.

Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper wished peace to the families and victims of the Aurora theater shooting Friday evening. Here he is pictured in a speech to the National Governors Association in February. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

Update: Gov. John Hickenlooper issued a statement subsequent to the Holmes sentence for the 2012 Aurora theater shooting:

“Our thoughts remain with the victims and families who have suffered unspeakable tragedy. No verdict can bring back what they have lost but we hope they begin to find peace and healing in the coming weeks.”

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Previously:

Life or death, Gov. John Hickenlooper won’t be weighing in on the jury’s verdict on the life or death of James Holmes Friday afternoon.

“If death penalty is determined in a case, there is still a lengthy legal process including a sentencing hearing, Supreme Court review, etc.,” according to a statement from his office.

“Protecting the integrity of active cases as they move through the judicial process is of the utmost importance to everyone involved so the governor will not comment.”

Another sign that Democrats view Arapahoe County District Attorney George Brauchler as an up-and-coming threat: The liberal group ProgressNow Colorado ripped him Wednesday over a problematic tweet he sent during a trial.

Brauchler’s name was mentioned Tuesday in a story in The Denver Post about which Republicans might take on Democratic U.S. Sen. Michael Bennet next year now that Congressman Mike Coffman has said he won’t jump in the race.

“When a governor commutes a death sentence, liberals cartwheel. When a prosecutor tweets about a death penalty trial, they’re outraged — just outraged,” he said. “ProgressNow would smear their board chairman’s grandmother if they thought for a second she was going to run against Michael Bennet.”

The gunman suspected in the Aurora theater shooting randomly fired at his targets but it’s likely he had encountered one of his victims several times since moving to Colorado.

James Holmes was in the process of withdrawing from a graduate program in neuroscience on Anschutz Medical Campus. He was in the research building next to the University of Colorado Hospital. Behind the hospital, in the first floor of the parking garage, is a Subway sandwich shop.

One of the 12 people killed in the theater shooting was 23-year-old Micayla Medek, who worked at that Subway.

Joey Bunch has been a reporter for 28 years, including the last 12 at The Denver Post. For various newspapers he has covered the environment, water issues, politics, civil rights, sports and the casino industry.